Invasive malaria mosquito spreads across Africa with pesticide resistance

Anopheles stephensi, an invasive mosquito that carries malaria and thrives in cities, has spread across Africa faster and farther than scientists had feared, raising the risk of urban outbreaks in places where malaria was not a major threat. A new genomic analysis using specimens from 10 countries found the mosquitoes detected in Africa were genetically resistant to all chemicals currently used in spraying and other mosquito-control programs. Public health experts quoted in the report said the species may now be too entrenched to eliminate or even contain. The mosquito’s urban habitat and broad insecticide resistance could complicate efforts in fast-growing African cities already under pressure from infectious disease risks.